Re: Increases in antibiotic resistance raises fears

[Guest guest]

How misuse of antibiotics backfired

By Bowlby, BBC Radio Current Affairs

When you learn about what life was like before we had antibiotics, you

realise what is at stake as we struggle against today's superbugs.

If we can't overcome the bugs that resist antibiotic treatment, we

might go back to a world where medicine seemed powerless against a

whole range of conditions.

Dr Bax, a former GP who now works for the pharmaceutical

company Chiron, said you only have to look at the graveyards full of

n children who died in infancy to realise what a world without

antibiotics was like.

When the first effective antibiotic, penicillin, arrived during the

Second World War, it seemed like a ray of hope amidst all the wartime

gloom. It looked as if we could defeat infection as decisively as we

were defeating fascism.

Panacea

At first there were only very limited amounts available of what the

media hailed as a wonder drug, mostly reserved for the military.

The famous film 'The Third Man' starring Orson Welles in seedy postwar

Vienna depicts the desperate struggle to obtain supplies of the drug.

So when antibiotics became available in much larger quantities demand

was huge.

They were seen as the cure for everything. Brown, who's written

a new history of penicillin, says they were touted as a cure for

baldness and tooth decay...

We haven't yet realised that, if resistance spreads unchecked, old

enemies like pneumonia will lurk again, routine operations will become

much more hazardous, and all that post-war optimism about endlessly

better health will seem like a distant dream.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4264121.stm

[Guest guest]

This is very true. I run a support group for people who have been touched by Necrotizing Fasciitis (flesh eating bacteria). It is normally caused by antibiotic resistant strep. The CDC has added MRSA to this too. I have over 600 people in my support group.

Marla

www.nnff.org

-- [Flu] Re: Increases in antibiotic resistance raises fears

How misuse of antibiotics backfiredBy Bowlby, BBC Radio Current AffairsWhen you learn about what life was like before we had antibiotics, yourealise what is at stake as we struggle against today's superbugs.If we can't overcome the bugs that resist antibiotic treatment, wemight go back to a world where medicine seemed powerless against awhole range of conditions.Dr Bax, a former GP who now works for the pharmaceuticalcompany Chiron, said you only have to look at the graveyards full ofn children who died in infancy to realise what a world withoutantibiotics was like.When the first effective antibiotic, penicillin, arrived during theSecond World War, it seemed like a ray of hope amidst all the wartimegloom. It looked as if we could defeat infection as decisively as wewere defeating fascism.Panacea At first there were only very limited amounts available of what themedia hailed as a wonder drug, mostly reserved for the military.The famous film 'The Third Man' starring Orson Welles in seedy postwarVienna depicts the desperate struggle to obtain supplies of the drug.So when antibiotics became available in much larger quantities demandwas huge.They were seen as the cure for everything. Brown, who's writtena new history of penicillin, says they were touted as a cure forbaldness and tooth decay... We haven't yet realised that, if resistance spreads unchecked, oldenemies like pneumonia will lurk again, routine operations will becomemuch more hazardous, and all that post-war optimism about endlesslybetter health will seem like a distant dream. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4264121.stm__________ NOD32 3432 (20080910) Information __________This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system.http://www.eset.com

[Guest guest]

Wow. I have heard of Necrotizing Fasciitis from news reports, but I

did not know its cause. More info please. I want to add your group

to our site links.

I have seen other news articles in the past on the coming world

without antibiotics, tho not as many articles as the topic deserves.

Moreover--if as is now believed to be the case--bacteria is a major

cause of death in a flu pandemic, the loss of anitbiotics will lead to

problems with flu.

Flu/message/9255

>

> This is very true. I run a support group for people who have been

touched by

> Necrotizing Fasciitis (flesh eating bacteria). It is normally caused by

> antibiotic resistant strep. The CDC has added MRSA to this too. I

have over

> 600 people in my support group.

> Marla

> www.nnff.org